Last Samurai Review

gravity · Post by **gravity** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 3:37 pm

There will probably be more than just minor flaws. The country of Japan refused to allow the movie to be shot there, which does lead to the question of why.

And Grav lives in an area densly populated by immagrant asians. They will notice too.

Doesn't mean they won't see it, non historically acurate films seem to do better than historically accurate films, as Titanic proved. (It took the movie an hour longer to sink the ship that the actual ship did itself! Jeez, how farther off could they have gotten, besides hiring someone like DeCaprio for a MOVIE role!? )

But, it will be interesting to see. The music looks good to, so far, though none of it seems to be classical japanese music, which is kinda dissapointing. Grav loves the wood flute, but is taking major bets that Hollywood doesn't, and has already nixed it.

Miroku · Post by **Miroku** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 3:46 pm

Any movie will take liberties with history. Braveheart took some pretty large liberties, especially toward the end. Any Hollywood "historical" movie should probably be viewed more as historical fiction.

I'm not a fan of Tom Cruise.. I would have preferred to see someone else. But.. still..... SAMURAI! I just wish there was gonna be Last Samurai action figures. Hee hee...

Nada · Post by **Nada** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 4:34 pm

The Nada does not knwo as much about Japanese culture as The Grav. But The Nada does know it kicks ass

Ohhhhh and there are Ninjas

tikki_tikki2000 · Post by **tikki_tikki2000** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 11:43 pm

ok, maybe i should watch the trailer..but Tom cruise as a samurai!? no, it doesn't work.

Miroku · Post by **Miroku** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 11:51 pm

Suspension of disbelief... otherwise, Tom Cruise as anything doesn't work... except maybe a leprechaun.

tikki_tikki2000 · Post by **tikki_tikki2000** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 12:11 am

hahahahaha. Come on though, i liked him in the Rain Man

Amanalphion · Post by **Amanalphion** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 2:27 am

He's not actually a samurai; I read that he's a Civil War soldier sent to Japan to train an army (probably soon after the Meiji revolution, Kenshin fans!), and ends up learning the way of the Samurai. In real life, this takes many, many years of training, so I have no idea how Cruise's character will manage to do it within a year or two...

RadicalDreamer · Post by **RadicalDreamer** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 2:42 am

Civil War? Why the hell would an American guy go to Japan in the Civil War times? I could understand a British guy, but come on...

Accer · Post by **Accer** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 5:50 am

First, the movie takes place years after the Civil War. The website didn’t say exactly, but since it mentioned Cruise training a conscripted army it probably begins in either 1964, when Yamada made the first mixed rifle unit, or, more likely, around the 1870’s when Japan’s first official conscription laws went into effect. Japan was importing lots of American and other Western specialists at that point in order to modernize as quickly as possible.

“The Last Samurai” may refer to the other main male lead (who is not Tom Cruise and therefore never mentioned in the ads), who is in fact the last in some line of samurai. Cruise’s character simply comes to appreciate the ways of this other fellow and find himself and the samurai’s hot sister, or something like that. That’s what the website says, anyway. I guess he learns to use a katana… That had better take him a couple of years at least, or I won’t buy it…

I haven’t really seen anything about the movie though, outside of the little write-up on the website. Judgement withheld.

Mav · Post by **Mav** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 7:59 am

Doesn't actually take that long to learn Accer. You could most certanially have it down within a year, especially if you spent half your day foccussing on it. Whether you could beat someone else who had been practicing for years or not... well thats more up to the idividual, and therefor another story.

And since she didn't post here, Lith I'll inform you that my verification for all things Japanese says you're retarded, and that the Kanji was right. She said it was also awkward and I recall her laughing at them for using it in the trailer the first time we saw it, but it was right none the less.

Miroku · Post by **Miroku** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 3:43 pm

Accer's rundown is similar to what I've read. Cruise's character is there as a former Union soldier who is brought over to Japan to train their troops. Part of the duties of the army he is training is to put down the last of the samurai, as their time has come to an end. In his skirmishes with them, Cruise's character comes to appreciate the values and ways the samurai are trying to hold on to, and filters over to their side.

While he's pictured in samurai armor, I'm guessing it's not like he himself is the last samurai, but simply fighting as he learned to in the Union armor, only using a katana rather than a Union saber and wearing samurai armor. Giving Hollywood the benefit of the doubt, I'm assuming he won't be "Instant Samurai.. Just add water!" but still a gaijin slowly learning their ways, like the main character in Shogun.

The other main character's sister.. huh? Maybe we'll get some naked Asian hiney on screen.. or better! I don't recall what the rating is.

Sir Spankspeople · Post by **Sir Spankspeople** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 3:48 pm

Suspension of disbelief... otherwise, Tom Cruise as anything doesn't work... except maybe a leprechaun.

Hey, Tom Cruise IS Lestat!

Miroku · Post by **Miroku** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 5:07 pm

I would have preferred to see Julian Sands as Lestat. That might have at least made the movie tolerable.

Accer · Post by **Accer** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 7:32 pm

Mav: well, yes to learn... (before you start, yes, I have taken lessons, so I know what I'm talking about.) But I saw a breif clip of Cruise taking out two samurai-looking people with some fancy-smancy move. Guy who studies sword for a few months should not be easily beating up people who have studied the same sword for their whole lives, no matter what the weapon, time, or place. He can beat up on lowly cannon fodder all he wants though, I guess. That's a staple of action movies after all.

gravity · Post by **gravity** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 8:02 pm

Mav wrote:And since she didn't post here, Lith I'll inform you that my verification for all things Japanese says you're retarded, and that the Kanji was right. She said it was also awkward and I recall her laughing at them for using it in the trailer the first time we saw it, but it was right none the less.

Which trailer, Mav? The first trailer was recalled because of issues around here, because they got TONS of complaints. Especially from those who saw it online, and were watching it in Japan.

Akward use of the language means they aren't using it correctly, like Coca Cola and the infamous Koko Kiri incident.

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